And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Revelation 22:12

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Into the Fray – A Middle East Update

Israel
If you have not heard by now, the 3 abducted Israeli boys were found murdered and dumped in a field. Last Tuesday Hamas attacked with a barrage of rockets as the funeral was underway in Modi’in for the three slain Israeli teenagers. In retaliation, Israeli Air Force struck 34 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

The tone out of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has changed. Tired of the endless, constant threats, acts of terrorism, hypocrisy from the US, failed diplomacy, and insults from the UN has, I believe, caused Israel to draw a line in the sand. They will no longer tolerate the hatred and abuse.

“Israeli defense officials passed the word to foreign news agencies Thursday, July 3, that troop reinforcements had been sent to the Gaza Strip border amid intensifying Palestinian rocket barrages.” “The reinforcements almost certainly included tanks and self-propelled artillery. A military official added that the Israeli Navy had reinforced its war fleet opposite Gaza’s Mediterranean coast, and the Home Front Command had raised the national level of alert.”

As of July 3rd, “Palestinian sources cited by Walla reported that Israel has delivered an ultimatum to Hamas to stop rocket fire from Gaza within 48 hours. Otherwise, Israel warned, it intends to launch an attack on Gaza.” “The sources said that the threat was delivered by Egyptian Intelligence to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, Musa Abu Marzuk, who is in Cairo.”

Also – “Syrian rebel forces are frustrated that Israel is not striking government targets in their country more forcefully, and are urging Jerusalem to play a greater role in the civil war raging just over the Jewish state’s northern border.

Remember from the previous post, for now, Egypt is “helping” Israel. Also remember that Israel now has at least three nuclear subs in the Persian Gulf.

ISIS
ISIS or their new name of IS (Islamic State) continues to make major advances. They have now declared an Islamic State and Caliphate. Remember a caliphate is the claim of a dynasty that will rule all of the Muslim people and eventually the world once it “submits to Allah”. That is a major claim now being declared. Quoting from news articles below:

“Islamic State demands allegiance of all Muslims after unilaterally declaring establishment of caliphate” The leader of the extremist group that seized much of northern Iraq and Syria called on Muslims worldwide on Tuesday to join the battle and help build an Islamic state in the newly conquered territory.

The 19-minute audiotape from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi came two days after his organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, unilaterally declared the establishment of an Islamic state, or caliphate, in the land it controls. It also proclaimed al-Baghdadi the caliph (and a direct decendant of Muhammad), and demanded that all Muslims around the world pledge allegiance to him.

In the statement, al-Baghdadi makes clear his global ambition and presented himself as the leader of all Muslims. With his group’s dramatic blitz in the heart of the Middle East, the Iraqi-born al-Baghdadi has made a bid to eclipse even al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri as the jihadi movement’s most influential figure.

He said the Islamic state is a land for all Muslims regardless of nationality, telling them it “will return your dignity, might, rights, and leadership.”

“It is a state where the Arab and non-Arab, the white man and black man, the easterner and westerner are all brothers,” he said — an appeal aimed at broadening his support base beyond the Middle East. “Muslims, rush to your state. Yes, it is your state. Rush, because Syria is not for the Syrians, and Iraq is not for the Iraqis. The earth is Allah’s.”

July 1st – “Sources of the autonomous Kurdish government of Iraq say ISIS has plundered in the past fortnight enough advanced US-made weapons to arm 200,000 combat personnel. Los Angeles Times said Tuesday that that US armored Hunvees, artillery pieces as well as truck rockets from Iraq were seen on the Syrian battlefield.”

July 3rd – ISIS “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant marched across eastern Syria near the border with Iraq on Thursday, seizing towns, villages and the country’s largest oil field as rival rebel factions gave up the fight”.

“The well-organized army of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, claims it has access to nuclear weapons and a will to use them to “liberate” Palestine from Israel as part of its “Islamic Spring,” according to a WND source in the region.”July 5th – IS is currently advancing on the Baghdad military air base. “IS’s commanders have their eye on the assault planes stored at the Baghdad air base which Iran and Russia delivered in the last 10 days to help Maliki fight the Sunni Islamists. They are all designed for striking ground targets. Iran sent eight fighters – four Su-25UBKMs and four Su-25Kms with crews, and the Russians six Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoots, along with air and ground maintenance crews.

The last Caliphate ended in 1924 with the demise of the Ottoman Empire. Of the 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, 85% are Sunni like ISIS, so al-Baghdadi potentially has millions of Muslims that can take up arms in his call as Caliphate and leader of the Muslim world. ISIS is no longer a terrorist outfit like Al-Qaeda. They are now a conquering, religious, political, and militaristic machine just like all Islam is and was since it was invented by Mohamed. They will not stop their conquest until someone stops them – plain and simple. They will push until something gives, and it won’t be Israel.

Surrounding Arab StatesSaudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia deployed 30,000 troops to the country’s border with Iraq Thursday, according to Reuters. Saudi Arabia shares a 500-mile border with Iraq where militant group the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) declared an “Islamic caliphate” earlier this week.

Jordan – Jordan is critical to the safety of Israel. “The Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) is rapidly making gains in war-torn Iraq and Syria, and is now threatening one of the region’s few stable regimes, Jordan. The Hashemite Kingdom has reportedly amassed forces along its eastern border with Iraq, but after ISIS managed to so effortlessly overrun the American-backed Iraqi army, there is cause for concern. There is growing speculation that if ISIS makes a move on Jordan, Israel will be asked to join the fight.”
Jordan not only has control of the Temple mount, but the US and Israel are both bound by military pacts to defend the throne of the Hashemite King Abdullah II. Foreign Minister Lieberman (Israel): We will do everything to maintain Jordan’s stability.

The ISIS terrorists see Jordan’s Western-backed King Abdullah as an enemy of Islam and an infidel, and have publicly called for his execution. ISIS terrorists recently posted a video on YouTube in which they threatened to “slaughter” Abdullah, whom they denounced as a “tyrant.” Some of the terrorists who appeared in the video were Jordanian citizens who tore up their passports in front of the camera and vowed to launch suicide attacks inside the kingdom.Egypt – “Egypt is assembling an expeditionary commando force to fly to Saudi Arabia and bolster its’ border defenses. This flurry of Saudi-Egyptian military steps comes in the wake of intelligence gathered by Saudi reconnaissance planes showing Iraqi Al Qaeda-linked Sunni fighters (ISIS) heading for the Saudi border and aiming to seize control of the Iraqi-Saudi crossing at Ar Ar”

Lebanon – Prior to the onslaught of ISIS, Israel said concerning Hezbollah –“Israel: Hezbollah is now stronger than any Arab army. Israel’s top military officer warned today that Hezbollah’s capabilities have grown substantially since the 2006 war, putting much of Israel within the reach of the Lebanese Shiite militant organization.”

RamadanRamadan – is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims worldwide observe this as a month of fasting. This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon, according to numerous biographical accounts compiled in the hadiths. Ramadan started the evening of June 28th and will end July 28th.

ISIS declared the Islamic state the first day of Ramadan. “Historically Ramadan was born as a month of Jihad and the most illustrious Jihad wars of Islam — from the Battle of Badr to that of Tours (732) to the initiation of Jihad for the independence of Pakistan (1946-47) — were all conducted in sacred Ramadan.” The first Friday prayers of Ramadan occasioned calls for more “martyrs.”

Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon are in a self-destruct mode. Over 50,000 Iraqis of which mostly are Christian have fled the Nineveh township of Qaraqosh. Pray for their deliverance.

Are we witnessing the days leading up to the Psalms 83 war, or is this just another episode in Israel’s tumultuous history? Time will tell. All the countries mentioned in this article are involved in that war. They are listed below.

Regardless, we already know the end result since it is written in the Word of God. Israel is victorious and will enlarge its’ borders.

Speaking of the latter days the Lord says “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision Psalms 2:1-4.
I have mentioned before that I believe the end will be upon us like a whirlwind and part of the reason Jesus says in Revelation “I come quickly” three times is to portray the urgency of how quickly the events leading up to the Tribulation and the events of His Revelation will unfold. Paul speaks something similar to this as well:
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
The ‘day of the Lord’ spoken here is referring to the Tribulation.